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Bothawui
General Information Saga Edition Core Rules|page=228}} Knowledge Lore Knowledge Sciences Old Republic Era Knight of the Old Republic|page=123}} The Bothans have long been members of the Galactic Republic, and in a Knights of the Old Republic campaign Bothawui is one of the most recognizable and heavily trafficked planets in the Republic. In the millennia preceding the Great Sith War, rapid expansion of hyperspace lanes opens up new worlds to exploration and investigation, and Bothans found their first colony on the world of Kothlis. Moreover, Bothawui’s influence in the Galactic Senate is considerable, and many of the Republic’s bureaucratic committees meet on Bothawui to discuss matters of government. More important, the Bothan Spynet is beginning to grow at an exponential rate. Each new hyperspace route quickly has dozens of Bothans traveling across it to reach new worlds. As the Bothans send agents to join the inhabitants of dozens of newly discovered worlds, information begins to flow through Bothawui back to the Republic about the expanding known galaxy. Moreover, Bothawui becomes a hub of not only information but trade as well. Bothan spies, returning from stints on distant worlds, bring back exotic items to sell on Bothawui’s open market. Collectors of rare items flock to Bothawui, and many Bothan explorers become wealthy overnight. Bothawui becomes a world not only of abundant information but also of abundant opulence. The Bothan homeworld is more prominent and more envied than any other time in galactic history. Clone Wars Era Bothawui is a longtime member of the Senate and supporter of the Republic. Despite this fact, Bothawui remains a neutral planet during the Clone Wars. The Senator from Bothawui, Polo Se’lab, consistently abstains from many of the Senate’s more politically charged votes in the months leading up to the Clone Wars. He states many times that he does not want Bothawui to be party to the start of open warfare, and he consistently maintains this stance in the following years. Though Bothawui is publicly neutral, the Bothan predilection for secrecy and clandestine action is in full swing. While the Bothans do not specifically play one side off against the other during the Clone Wars, they are proud to serve each one in a professional, if not exclusive, manner. According to Bothan thought, providing the Republic and the Confederacy with useful intelligence is a good way to hasten the war’s end, as well as make a profit. Bothan neutrality does little to prevent both Separatist and Republic representatives from attempting to woo Bothawui to their side in the conflict. As the war progresses, it becomes increasingly obvious to the Bothans that neither side is worth supporting in full and that each faction is hiding several proverbial skeletons in their closet. This only reinforces the perception of Bothan neutrality during the Clone Wars. Bothawui, defended by its own small planetary defense forces, is largely untouched by the war. Intelligence agents from the opposing factions, however, are numerous. Republic and Separatist agents rarely interact with one another in a hostile fashion on Bothawui, though a number of quiet confrontations and mysterious deaths are unavoidable. Dark Times Era The cagey Bothans—who manage to maintain their neutrality throughout the Clone Wars—broker a limited neutrality for Bothawui when the Empire comes into power. Although technically part of the Empire with representation in the Imperial Senate, Bothawui and many of its colonies remain relatively untouched by Imperial tyranny. Most of those colonies host a small Imperial garrison and a governor who acts as liaison between Bothan and Imperial administrations. Most Bothans keep to themselves in their domain of space, however, preferring to avoid Palpatine’s preference for Human High Culture and the antialien prejudices it engenders. Spacefaring Bothans do leave their homeworld to conduct business and diplomacy, and a few enclaves exist in systems that tolerate their presence. Galactic citizens interacting with Bothans deem them as “civilized” aliens with some worth to society and therefore do not openly persecute them. The Empire tolerates the Bothans primarily because of their extensive and experienced SpyNet. ISB agents stationed around Bothan space, near enclaves, and in the Imperial complex on Bothawui itself maintain a rigorous counterintelligence operation that monitors the organization’s operations, intercepts its intelligence, and, in some cases, manipulates the SpyNet into acting unknowingly for the Empire’s benefit. By leaving the Bothan SpyNet to its own devices, Palpatine keeps Bothawui a quiet, content, and somewhat marginalized world while gaining from the Bothans’ naturally adept espionage activities. Legacy Era With their influence and power largely restored following the damage done by unscrupulous Bothans in the founding days of the Galactic Alliance, the people of Bothawui find themselves once more under the heel of Imperial oppression. Unlike his predecessors, Darth Krayt knows that the Bothans cannot be trusted to sit idly by while their power and influence is taken away by the Empire. Rather than allowing Bothawui to once again foment rebellion, Krayt orders his Moffs to offer prestigious positions throughout the Empire to Bothans with influence on Bothawui, setting them up with large payrolls and giving them a great deal of power in the new Empire. Bothan leaders who refuse the bribes of the new Empire meet a more sinister fate. Krayt orders that Imperial Intelligence base its operations on Bothawui. While the Director of Imperial Intelligence resides on Coruscant, the main force of Imperial Intelligence now operates in the heart of the Bothan SpyNet and keeps a close eye on the Bothans for signs of treason. Similarly, many high-ranking members of the SpyNet are recruited into Imperial Intelligence. Imperial indoctrination of Bothan nobles and spies creates unrest and civil strife on Bothawui. Bothawui is a world of two minds—one loyal to the Empire thanks to bribery, and one resenting those who abandoned their Bothan pride for the promises of the new Empire. The citizens of Bothawui squabble among themselves, and sometimes these squabbles break out into violence, with many Bothans living in fear of their fellow citizens and the Empire alike. __NOEDITSECTION__ Category:Gameplay Category:Lore Category:Galactic Gazetteer Category:Core Rules Category:KotOR Category:Force Unleashed Category:Clone Wars Category:Legacy Era